With less than a month left to go until schools reopen their doors, back-to-school shopping is in full swing, as is The Herald’s annual school supply drive.

As in past years, The Herald and its sister community newspapers – the Fort Mill Times, the Enquirer-Herald in York and Clover, and the Lake Wylie Pilot – are partnering with local school districts to gather supplies for children from less fortunate families.

The donation boxes have been out for several weeks, and two local districts report that the response has been good so far.

The Rock Hill School District has received bookbags, notebooks, binders, folders, composition books, pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, glue sticks, pencil boxes and hand sanitizer, said Serena Williams, the district’s coordinator of community services. The district also has received “several hundred dollars” in cash for supplies.

The Fort Mill School District is reporting similar success. Several groups have let the district know they’re collecting items and will turn them in at the end of the drive.

“We’ve been promised over 200 bookbags with supplies,” said Caryn Scroggs, executive director of the Foundation for Fort Mill Schools.

The Chester School District reported that a student group organized several large supply collection events in August to help. The Chester Chamber of Commerce is encouraging businesses to start their own collections, said district spokeswoman Brooke Clinton.

School starts back in Chester, Lancaster and Fort Mill on Aug. 18. Rock Hill and York schools go back on Aug. 20.